Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a composition and method for treating hair; and more particularly for treating hair loss, for supplying nutrients to hair, and for cleansing the scalp.
Treatments for hair loss and other scalp and hair disorders have long been sought. Hair loss occurs in a variety of situations, including but not limited to male pattern baldness (androgenetica alopecia), diseases accompanied by skin lesions or tumors, nutritional disorders, and internal secretion disorders. The mechanisms causing hair loss are very complicated, and thus not easily amenable to well-defined causes. In some instances, however, hair loss can be attributed to causes including aging, genetic disposition, activation of hormones, loss of blood supply to hair follicles, and scalp abnormalities.
Hair loss is a widespread ailment. At present, people suffering from hair loss constitute about 25% of the population in Asia, and about 30% of the population in America and Europe. A wide variety of products for the stimulation of hair growth have been developed and commercialized in numerous countries. These products include medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and industrial products. Two hair-growth stimulants have been officially approved by the FDA: Rogaine(trademark) (minoxidil), a composition that lowers blood pressure and is adapted to be applied on the skin; and Propecia(trademark) (finasteride), a composition that is also used to treat thyroid-related obesity.
Many of the products currently in the market have been touted for their purported efficacy, and their constituent components have been widely advertized. A number of the products utilize compositions based on chemical compounds, while others are based on extracts from naturally-occurring herbs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,791 describes a hair-growing agent containing as an effective ingredient an aliphatic carboxylic acid having an odd number of carbon atoms or a derivative thereof; U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,231 discloses a hair tonic composition that contains an extract from a Chinese herb, dong chong xia cao.
In many cases, however, it has been found that the efficacy of the hair treatment products and the actual results obtained by the consumers do not match or live up to the reported or suggested results. Continued research and experimentation in this area is therefore necessary.
An improved product for preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth is desirable.
The present invention is directed to a method and composition for treating hair, based on extracts of Asian herbs that are subjected to ultrasonic fermentation.
A composition for treating hair include effective amounts of an herbal extract, and particularly an extract extracted from a species of Angelica, and from Astragali Radix. The herbal extract is prepared by adding water to effective amounts of the herbs, and heating the resulting liquid for 1 to 8 hours, at a temperature of 90-200 degrees Celsius. An amine compound, preferably diethanol amine, or a combination of triethanol amine and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, is added to the herbal extract. Benzoic acid, dissolved in ethanol, is then added to the herbal extract, together with water. The resulting solution is fermented between 12 to 24 hours, in an ultrasonic fermentation apparatus operating at about 15 KHz.
A method for the treatment of hair loss includes applying to the scalp the composition described above.
A method of preparing a hair treatment composition includes preparing a herbal extract of Angelica and Astragali Radix, and filtering the herbal extract. The method includes combining the filtered herbal extract with an amine compound selected from the group consisting of diethanol amine, and triethanol amine combined with dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate. The method includes adding a solution of benzoic acid (dissolved in ethanol) to the filtered herbal extract, together with water. The method includes fermenting in an ultrasonic fermenting apparatus the resulting solution.